This patent application relates generally to speech recognition and, more particularly, to a method for creating a computerized speech model for children, making use of known speech models for adults.
Computerized voice recognition has found broad application throughout industry. One beneficial application of voice recognition has been in language learning. Specifically, a language can be learned in a much more natural way if the student actually speaks the language and his speech is monitored and criticized. A general purpose voice recognition computer program which requires little or no training is ideal for such an application. For example, a student could listen to prerecorded language being spoken by a native speaker and could attempt to duplicate the speech. The voice recognition program monitors the student's speech, accepting correct expressions and indicating whenever errors occur. The student could then try again until his pronunciation is acceptable.
Today, computerized speech models are available in many languages and could be used in the way described. That makes it possible for a student to learn a language at his own pace on a personal computer. However, the speech models tend to be for adult speech. On the other hand, language learning is particularly easy for children, and that is particularly effective time at which to learn a language. Speech models for children are not readily available and adult models do not work well for children's speech, owing to the special characteristics of that speech. Children's speech has higher pitch than even female speech and it is more variable than female speech, which is more variable than male speech.
Therefore, it would be highly desirable to be able to generate a speech recognition model for children's speech, making use of only known models for male and/or female adult speech in the same language.